Okagbare Faces Toughest Hurdle as Tokyo 2020 Olympic Trials Begin

Nigeria’s Queen of the tracks, Blessing Okagbare, will today face the toughest hurdle at the National Trials and Invitational Relays in Lagos as she looks forward to winning her eighth national sprint title.

The opening day of the Tokyo 2020 National Trials will see Okagbare competing in the 100m alongside one of the best kids on the block at the moment, Grace Nwokocha.

Okagbare picked her last national championship title in 2016, after winning it back-to-back between 2009 to 2014 and also 2016, missing out only in 2015.

Despite having already qualified for the Olympics, Okagbare will be hoping to continue her preparations for the Games in Japan with sole aim of another podium finish.

Since the likes of Damola Osayomi and Gloria Asumnu left the stage, it has been a stroll in the park for Okagbare in major finals, but will have to contend with Nwokocha who also will be on the flight to Tokyo after securing her qualification at the venue of the National Trials, the Yabatech Sports Complex, Yaba, Lagos.

The key event for the opening day is the 100m with both the men and women’s finals taking place in the evening.

Morning events will witness the 20km women and men final, the 100m prelims, 400m heat (men and women), 1,500m women final and the hammer (women) final.

Apart from the 100m finals expected to take place in the afternoon, there will be shot-put men final with all eyes on Chukwuebuka Enekwechi.

Tobi Amusan will be geared up towards erasing the African record in the women’s 100m hurdles when she takes to the track in the heat as the men 110m hurdles will be taking place also.

The trials, which will be used to select Nigeria’s contingent to the delayed Games of the XXXII Olympics in Tokyo which is scheduled to hold from July 23 to August 8, 2021, will see 11 events taking place on the opening day.